The Offer
by MiaulinK
Summary: Danny was just on his way back to his friends when he met a tall stranger calling himself Charles Xavier. Written in the Hidden Phantom universe, one-shot, in reference to a comment in chapter three of Hidden Phantom.


**This is in the Hidden Phantom universe, based on a comment in chapter three. I own nothing.**

Danny was terrified. He and his friends had escaped the GIW, defeated so many odds, had been doing it for months. Yet here he was, stunned, as he looked in the compartments of the bikes he and his friends had been riding all day. There was no food, and no water. He had survived for long periods of time with no food, but his friends never had been for anywhere near as long without food as he had. His record was several days, and even then he gathered energy from the people around him automatically. He sighed, and turned around.

"Tucker, I'm going to the store. I need to get some food. I can pose as someone else, heck, I can overshadow someone. I'll be back in an hour or two." Danny waited for a response, but got none. He sharply reprimanded himself. The two of his friends were sleeping soundly in the room, snores filling the alley where they had slept. Sam stirred slightly. Danny shrugged and reached over her, phasing his hand into the pocket of his backpack, thankful that everything had occurred directly after school, thus leaving him with plenty of paper and pencils. He pulled out the red pencil, and a plain sticky note. He wrote his message, and the time he had left, just so his friends wouldn't panic too badly when they saw he was missing. He attached it to Tucker's shirt, and eased out of the alley, slowly.

He was about halfway down the street when he remembered to check and see how much money he had. He had a fair amount, about fifty dollars left. They were on their way to the comic convention, so he set aside about thirty dollars for admittance, leaving twenty dollars to buy supplies with. He tried not to think about how his parents and sister might be faring. He walked into a random store, hoping that there would be low priced things, but to no avail. He left the store as quickly as he could, deftly dodging the people around him, trying to get food at ridiculous prices. He walked back to the open street, and continued the hunt.

* * *

Danny had finally come across a small store, and finally came to a halt. For several seconds he paused outside the door, before he took a deep breath and entered.

Danny walked among the rows and rows of shelves and shelves of food, and gathered information on what each item cost. He began to gather some food. His rather small collection consisted of water, bread, turkey, canned beans (Which could be opened with his powers, and eaten cold) jelly, and ibuprofen, which he supposed would be good in nearly any circumstances. He just hoped he had enough, because he did not want to be recognized, and the longer he stayed in one place, the easier it would be to be recognized. He moved to the cash register and checked out his items. They cost about ten dollars, and he left the store, hoping no one noticed him slide away.

He was almost home free when he heard a man clear his throat, and say, "Daniel Fenton". Danny whipped around in a split second and pinned the man against the wall before he had time to do anything else. The amazingly tall man froze. Danny studied him up and down.

Tall, blue-eyed, black hair, tense, slightly on guard, the man was well built, but not muscular. Not quite. He was not too much of a threat, so Danny released him. The man appeared to still be wary, but watched him and his actions closely. He had relaxed slightly, considering Danny hadn't hurt him when he'd been snuck up on.

"Who are you?" Danny questioned, "How do you know me?"

The man raised an eyebrow, and said, "With the wanted adds in the news, it would be hard to miss you. My name is Charles Xavier."

Danny flushed involuntarily, and mentally face-palmed. _Right, the adds_. He should stop asking stupid questions. "Why are you here? What do you want with me?" He questioned.

"I am a mutant," _thanks, now what's a mutant?_ "And I have powers." _Oh, so mutants have powers?_ "I noticed the news, and wanted to ask you something. I have been tracking you for a while," _That wasn't creepy at all_ , "And was going to ask what you could do, and if I could help you gain control over your abilities, while staying safe. I have been considering running a school for people with powers, and wished to know."

Danny felt frozen. "This is some kind of trick, isn't it. You're working with cops, and you plan on getting paid for me, don't you?" He demanded. "I'm not going to believe you, just so you know."

Charles stated calmly, "I am not working for any policemen, I am simply asking you if you want me to help you."

Danny didn't trust him yet. "Prove yourself."

Charles looked him up and down. "I am a telepath. My powers aren't obvious, unlike other people I have met."

"Convince me. I dare you."

The man focused on him, and Danny heard a voice in his head, seconds after the first nudge on his mental barriers.

 _/I'm here, and I am telling you the truth. You have a sister? Jasmine? And your powers developed after an accident inside a portal? Curiouser and couriouser, to quote Alice./_

Danny flinched. "Get out of my head. I get that you're a telepath, but what does that have to do with everything?"

"I tracked you using my telepathy. I simply wanted to ask you the questions I have already asked. Do you accept?"

Danny was certain he did not want to go, and said so. "Look, I don't want to, and I don't have a reason to trust you. For all I know you could be using me, and you will turn me in, deleting any information from the cops' minds you feel like doing. I can't even believe you about teaching me. You are just setting me up, probably. So, no."

The man looked disappointed, and sighed. "Very well. I wasn't certain you would accept, anyway. If you need my help, call me. Here my number is." The man handed him a scrap sheet of paper with a number on it.

783-672-0094

Danny glanced up. "Okay?"

"You can call me any time, Daniel. Just keep the number. Good luck, and goodbye."

"Bye. But I probably won't call you. Thanks, I guess?"

The man was gone in seconds, leaving Danny amused, shaking his head as he turned around and left the spot he had been standing, wandering back to the alley they had been sleeping in, and smiling, where he set down the groceries, glad that Sam and Tucker had not woken.


End file.
